


Coda: Chuck Versus the Unexpected Confession

by Confessions_of_a_Closet_Bibliophile



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s01e10 Chuck Versus the Nemesis, Unrequited Love, not as sad as it sounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26776582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Confessions_of_a_Closet_Bibliophile/pseuds/Confessions_of_a_Closet_Bibliophile
Summary: At the end of Chuck Versus the Nemesis, General Beckman assigns Bryce to the team protecting the Intersect, and Chuck finally gets answers to some of his questions.
Relationships: Chuck Bartowski & Bryce Larkin, Chuck Bartowski/Bryce Larkin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	Coda: Chuck Versus the Unexpected Confession

**Author's Note:**

> This ship is near and dear to my heart, even though it's a very small and pretty obscure one. I can't blame fans, though, because Chuck and Sarah have an absolutely beautiful arc (which I'm still not over), but I've always thought that the one character I would have loved to get to see more is Bryce Larkin. He sacrificed so much for Chuck, and he just deserves better, damn it!
> 
> But, I've also utterly failed to write a love story, so...whoops.
> 
> I honestly like the idea that Bryce decided to save Chuck of his own volition, without Chuck’s dad influencing things. Sorry, Orion, you’re not in this one. Also, in my universe, Sarah and Bryce’s relationship is purely a professional one.

Bryce comes out of the meeting with General Beckman, hair flowing like he’s starring in a Pantene commercial, and says, “So it looks like I’ll be hanging around for a while,” which Chuck takes to mean that he and Sarah are going to run off into the sunset, and that Chuck and Casey will be the awkward third wheels on every mission for the foreseeable future. 

But Sarah looks so happy, and Bryce is grinning too, not exactly like he used to, but something close enough, and Chuck knows that they’ll be really good together. So he forces out a light, “Cool, guess I’ll see you around then, buddy,” complete with a manly clap on the arm, and goes home to sleep for a million years. 

Chuck startles awake with a yelp to a burglar climbing in through his window. 

Trying frantically to remember Casey’s annoyed attempts at self-defense training, he quickly throws himself to the side- too quickly, actually, seeing as he moves with such velocity that he rolls right off the edge of his bed, bounces off the wall, and ends up wedged in the space under his boxspring. 

Not a very maneuverable place to be, so Chuck’s pretty much dead. There’s no way the other guy didn’t hear him yell, and there are only so many places to hide. He spares a moment to regret how ridiculous his obituary is gonna be. 

**_Chuck Bartowski, after being kicked out of Stanford and generally being a loser of epic proportions, died hiding under his bed during a robbery._ **

The intruder’s quiet footsteps trace a path around the bed while Chuck holds his breath and does his best to turn to stone. 

Chuck’s stomach drops as a pair of admittedly very nice loafers come to a stop about six inches from his face. Time seems to move at quarter-speed as the burglar kneels down, grasps the edge of the duvet, and-

**“Boo!”**

Chuck screams like a little girl- he’s not afraid to admit it- and flails backward, doing his best to cover his head and any vital organs, wondering when he’s gonna die, and at least a bit offended that the burglar is laughing his ass off. 

Actually, come to think of it, it’s a terribly familiar sound. 

Huffing, Chuck opens his eyes, pokes his head out, and says, “Bryce! What the hell, man!” 

He’s not expecting a response, since his old pal is cackling in the far corner of the room, having slid fully to the ground like he always does when he’s having so much fun that he can’t even stand. Well, Chuck’s glad that _someone’s_ amused. 

Annoyed, he stalks over, tripping over his desk chair on the way, to hiss, “What are you doing here?” at the vague shadowy blob still hiccuping little bursts of sound and squirming around. God, it’s like being back in college again, where Bryce took joy in hiding behind every door and corner to jump out at him and run off giggling. Eventually, the laughter peters out, and Bryce hauls himself to his feet. 

He's doing that thing where he acts sort of like old Bryce, but it's just off. Distorted, like looking into a funhouse mirror. Chuck wishes that he'd stop. He doesn't need to stare at the ghost of his dead best friend. 

“Hey, buddy, how’s it going?” Bryce asks, like they didn’t just see each other too few hours ago and like he didn’t just _scare the shit out of him_. 

Chuck crosses his arms and squints at him. “Why are you here?” 

Bryce grins disarmingly, the same fake-innocent look that makes random grandmas stop on the street to pinch his cheeks, and punches Chuck’s arm. “I wanted to check up on you, seeing as you ran off so quickly earlier.”

Chuck shifts uncomfortably, not sure where this is going. He settles on, “Well yeah, I thought I’d let you and Sarah catch up,” a tacit yielding of the floor, seeing as Bryce and Sarah had a whole thing going on before. He’s not going to get in the way. 

Bryce tilts his head, studying Chuck like he can’t quite figure him out. It’s silly because Bryce is the one that Chuck can’t read anymore, if he ever really could. 

“Sarah’s fine, but I wanted to talk to you.” 

And he _really_ doesn’t know what to do with that, because he saw the way that Sarah and Bryce were orbiting around each other, comfort suggestive of a long history and no small amount of affection. They're just inevitable. So why is he here, rather than with her? 

But, seeing as Bryce is here, Chuck wants answers. 

“Okay, let’s talk. Why did you send me the Intersect? I know that you and Professor Fleming kept me from being recruited, so why drag me into this mess later?”

It’s something that’s been bothering Chuck since he saw Fleming’s tape. He still has a hard time wrapping his mind around Bryce framing him for cheating to get him kicked out of school _to protect him_ , but Chuck’s involved with the CIA now anyway, and Bryce was the one who brought him in. Surely he would have been safer if he’d had the proper training and become a real agent, instead of his current role as part-tech support part-helpless damsel in distress. 

Bryce winces. 

“I really didn’t mean to get you involved. I wanted you to stay separate from all this-” he gestures broadly around to encompass the missions, life-threatening situations, and all. “I was in a tight spot, I thought that I was a goner, and you’re the only one that I trusted. I’m sorry that it’s shaken up your life so much. I never meant for this to happen.” 

And Chuck, well, he can’t really argue with that. It’s not like he’s never panicked and done something stupid on a mission. But-

“Why were you so set on keeping me out of the CIA? Plenty of people work for the government without being field agents or housing supercomputers in their heads. But you never even told me that you wanted to work with them, you never even wanted to be in the intelligence sector. I thought your dream was to work with nonprofits and social services, not run around being a spy.” Chuck sighs. “I just don’t understand.” 

Bryce shrugs. “It was just a job. I figured that getting to save up some money during school and maybe get clearance would help me find a better job later, doing something meaningful. It was only ever supposed to be temporary.”

“Then what changed?” 

Bryce looks away, shifty.

“My priorities changed.” 

With a dawning sense of horror, the pieces start to come together. 

“ _No_ , Bryce,” Chuck says, “Tell me you didn’t do this for me. Tell me you didn’t give up your chance to get out to keep me safe.” Bryce still won’t look at him, so he grabs him by the shoulders. “Tell me that you stayed because you wanted to. Tell me it’s because you met Sarah, or you wanted to save the world.” 

He doesn’t say a word, but Chuck just knows. 

“ _Why_?” he asks, voice cracking embarrassingly. “Why would you do this?”

“It’s not that easy to explain,” Bryce says to the wall. Chuck just shakes his head. 

“I’m not that dumb, just try.” 

Bryce pauses, considering. He picks his way through the words carefully. 

“I talked to Fleming, and he agreed. It was the best option. He wanted you for the program, but he was willing to propose me instead. That’s it.” 

“Bullshit.” Bryce’s eyebrows threaten to take flight when Chuck pokes him in the chest. “No, that’s bullshit. You don’t get to play it off like you didn’t give anything up.” 

His voice gets higher and squeakier as he goes on, but he thinks he’s earned the right to be a little worked up. 

“You saved me, and I never got the chance to thank you because by the time I found out, you were dead. And now you’re back, but you’re still hiding things from me. I feel like I’m talking to a stranger.” 

Finally, there’s a crack in the mask. Bryce wavers, seeming unsure, which is at least something other than untouchable confidence. Chuck deflates, all the fight going out of him. He doesn’t want to argue, he just wants to go back to sleep. 

He says, “You should go. Back to Sarah, I mean. I’m sure she wants to spend more time together now that you’re back.” 

“Why do you keep bringing up Sarah?” Bryce asks, bemused. Chuck doesn’t understand him. 

“Umm, because she’s your girlfriend?” Chuck offers, suddenly nervous. Does Bryce have amnesia? He tries to remember if Bryce took a blow to the head in all the chaos. “Remember? Your very pretty, very scary girlfriend who thought you were dead until like the day before yesterday?”

Bryce’s expression clears, and he shakes his head. “You’ve got the wrong idea. Sarah’s my partner for missions. We’re not...involved.” 

Chuck peers at Bryce suspiciously. “Does Sarah know that? Because I have a pretty clear memory of your lips on her lips, kissing in my bedroom during _Thanksgiving dinner_.”

Bryce huffs out a laugh, a strange weight to his words when he says, “Sarah knows. She’s very aware of how I feel.” 

“Oh.”

If someone had told Chuck a couple days ago not to worry because Sarah’s not actually hung up on her dead boyfriend, he might have felt excited, like there could be something between them. But if Bryce was never part of the picture, then Sarah has no other reason to shoot Chuck down other than...just not wanting him. 

Some part of Chuck always knew that Sarah was too good for him, from the moment she walked into the Buy More. It hurts, like lingering heartburn, but he’s not surprised. He’d rather know than keep pining after someone who’s not interested. 

It’s probably for the best, anyway, since Sarah’s only here for the Intersect, and if everything goes to plan, Chuck will be Intersect-free pretty soon. 

“So, got any other secrets you want to share, while we’re here?” Chuck jokes, trying to lighten the mood. 

The old Bryce would joke back, maybe tackle Chuck and ruffle up his hair, or confess his deep and undying love for Nina Simone. This Bryce doesn’t do any of that. He turns away entirely to study Chuck’s posters like they hold the secrets to the universe, the line of his back gone rigid. 

“Bryce?” Chuck prods tentatively. “I was just messing around, you know. I know there’s super secret government stuff that you can’t tell me. It’s okay, I’m not mad.” He reaches for Bryce’s shoulder, but Bryce whirls around, something wild and pained in the corners of his eyes. “Bryce?”

Bryce starts talking like he’ll explode if he can’t get the words out fast enough. 

“That’s funny, actually, buddy, because there is something.” He laughs nervously, humorlessly, and it’s such a departure from suave spy Bryce that Chuck’s head spins. “I’ve been sitting on this a long time, years actually, and I didn’t ever expect to say anything about it because I didn’t ever think you’d want to see me again, so it didn’t really matter then, did it? But now we’re here, and it looks like we might be friends again, so.” 

He cuts himself off, breathing harsh and near-panicked, letting out a hysterical little sound when Chuck moves to grab his arm or steady him. Chuck goes to tell him that it’s really okay, it’s alright, he doesn’t have to say anything that he doesn’t want to, just _breathe_ , but Bryce shakes his head viciously and says, “I don’t even know why I’m doing this, why I feel the need to fuck everything up.” 

He’s hurting, coming apart at the seams, and Chuck doesn’t know what to do except listen. 

“You can tell me anything,” Chuck promises. “Or nothing, if you want.” 

Bryce takes a few steadying breaths, visibly steels himself, and whispers, “I’m in love with you.”

Chuck’s not really sure what his face is doing right now, he’s too busy reeling. “What?” he croaks. “How long, I mean, what?” He keeps trying to rearrange the words into something that makes sense, but no matter how he turns it around and pulls it apart, it doesn’t fit. 

Bryce is...in love with him? Not that he loves him, _in love_. 

Bryce shrugs, casually. “Since sophomore year.” 

Chuck just gapes at him. “All this time? But what about Amy or Sophia or Jill?” He would have noticed, right? They basically lived in each other’s pockets for four years, and he never suspected. Especially since Bryce was never without a girlfriend in all the time Chuck knew him, until right before the end. 

“Yeah, and uh, about that,” Bryce coughs awkwardly. “I’m gay?” 

_What?_ Chuck feels like he’s crashing, like his brain’s just decided, _does not compute._

Bryce is coming closer, like maybe if there’s less space between them, he’ll be able to cross the chasm that’s formed over the years. Chuck stumbles back a bit, hands raised. Somewhere in the back of his head, he gets how weird it is that he’s acting like Bryce’s pulled a gun on him instead of having outed himself. 

He’s probably fucking this up royally. 

Look, Chuck doesn’t have a problem with gay people.

He winces a little bit, realizing that he sounds like a homophobic Southern aunt who “doesn’t care about their private lives, but they don’t need to be so _open_ about it.” 

But really though. His college buddy Sam was bi (the _was_ referring more to the fact that Chuck hasn’t seen him since his less than glorious removal from their alma mater, not to any speculation about what label Sam uses now), and it wasn’t weird at all.

So it’s not that Bryce is gay. It’s that Bryce is gay for Chuck. 

Well, Chuck admits, maybe it is a little bit about Bryce being gay.

He’s just so bewildered, trying to overwrite the image of Bryce as some lady-killer Casanova with this new picture. Did he misinterpret Bryce’s relationships because _everyone knew_ that chicks dig Bryce Larkin, and he never bothered to look deeper? Was Bryce putting on a show, or did Chuck just assume that he’s straight and never question it? 

And he feels, unfairly, betrayed that Bryce didn’t tell him. It’s ridiculous, he knows it’s ridiculous, because he can’t honestly expect people to out themselves just because they’re friends. He can’t ever understand what it’s like. He just, he can’t deal with this right now, not if he wants to be able to respond like a good friend should.

“I need some time,” Chuck says.

Bryce freezes, obvious even with how still he was holding himself before, and all expression leaves his face. It’s not quick enough to disguise the very real _hurt_ slammed behind the walls that Bryce didn’t have back when they were best friends. Chuck hates himself so much right now, and he spends a lot of time hating himself, so that’s a testament to how much of an irredeemable asshole he’s being. 

“I- um, well, I just, I’m sorry,” Chuck stammers. 

He mentally kicks himself in the ass, launches himself at Bryce, who braces himself like he’s going to be hit, hands coming up to shield his head, and pulls him into a crushing hug. 

Of course, because he’s a walking human disaster, his attempt at being supportive ends up with them both falling over, and Chuck yelps as his hip catches the edge of his desk. They hit the floor hard, Chuck’s elbow banging painfully into the ground because he is _not_ letting Bryce out of this hug. 

“Ow,” Bryce says sadly, and it’s so much like the guy he knew before, not this stone cold stranger with Bryce’s face that Chuck can barely stand to look at, that he crushes him even tighter. And it must be alright seeing as Bryce is hugging him back just as hard. 

And suddenly they’re laughing like crazy, lying side by side favoring forming bruises, and it’s just so familiar and comfortable that Chuck _aches_ , six years of missing his best friend hitting all at once. He’d missed Bryce _so much,_ his buddy, the person that knew him better than anyone else, but he didn’t let himself feel it because how could he miss someone that stabbed him in the back? 

Knowing now everything that Bryce gave up for him and seeing him alive again, he reaches inside and can’t find that old lingering resentment. It’s gone. He’s just dizzyingly happy. 

Riding on that wave of euphoria, he turns his head toward Bryce, who looks messy and carefree and young again, and says, “Thank you. For saving me and for trusting me.” _For loving me._

If someone as awesome as Bryce can love him, then maybe Chuck’s not that much of a loser. 

Bryce looks back, something sad and knowing in the curve of his smile. “But you don’t feel the same,” he finishes. 

Chuck pauses, not sure what to say. 

There was a point when Bryce was the most important person in his life aside from Ellie, and he can easily see that being true again. They were practically family, Bryce’s mom all but adopted him when he’d visited in ‘01, and Chuck was sure that Ellie and Bryce would get along like a house on fire and gang up on him all the time if they met. 

Chuck knows that Bryce is devastatingly handsome, in the way that the aurora borealis is pretty, like if there’s a God, he was in the greatest mood when he made Bryce. 

But, he’s pretty sure that’s not the same as what Bryce means. And he doesn’t want to give him any false hope. He wants Bryce to fall in love with the perfect guy, to find his _t’hy’la_ , and Chuck just isn’t that guy. 

“I loved you, man, but not the way you want me to. I’m sorry. I wish that I did.”

Silent, Bryce doesn’t say, “I wish you did too.” 

“I missed you,” Chuck confesses, realizing that he’s somehow forgotten to tell him. He shifts closer so their arms touch, like they’re 19 years old again, lying on the roof of their dorm staring at the night sky and talking about their future.

Bryce says, “I missed you too. I’m glad I came back.” 

Chuck just settles into the carpet, presses closer, and lets his warmth and the comfortable silence say, “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did you catch the line that I stole from the lovely Zachary Levi? There's a wonderful video [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qKcch4OacY) of him talking about Matt Bomer and how great of a mood God must have been in when he made him :D
> 
> Also, I should clarify, t'hy'la is a Vulcan word whose translated meaning is some amalgamation of friend/brother/lover. A very close bond, basically, one encompassing multiple different types of love, and since Chuck and Bryce are Trekkies, I thought it was appropriate. 
> 
> I honestly think that there's room in canon for Bryce to be gay. Most of what we know about him is from Chuck's perspective, and it's all about how popular and awesome Bryce was. He's not around enough to really get to be straight all over the place. There is his relationship with Sarah, but as I mentioned, I'm ignoring that for this fic. 
> 
> As far as Chuck, whether he's straight or bi or if he could later develop feelings for Bryce and just hasn't thought to consider whether he's gay because being straight is the "normal" way to be, I'm leaving that open to interpretation. Sexuality is confusing, my dudes, I'm still using a big question mark as a placeholder. Chuck's feelings about Bryce in general are messy, so I don't think that he'd be having any big revelations right now. 
> 
> I do think it's ridiculous that I wanted to write more fic to contribute to a really tiny ship and ended up writing unrequited love. Figures. The scrabbling rat that runs around in my head wants what it wants.


End file.
